1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mechanized storage systems or arrangements, and particularly to a system in which articles to be stored can be placed on a platform or in a basket near floor level, and elevated to a storage location clear of the floor and other objects in the immediate vicinity.
2. Description of the Known Art
Hand-operated or automated article storage arrangements are known generally, including storage systems adapted for use in home garages. For example, one known arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,320 issued Jan. 19, 1971, shows a garage storage arrangement in which a large item such as a boat can be hoisted by a pulley to a storage position in the loft space of a two-car garage.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,113 issued Sept. 23, 1975, shows a bicycle storage system in which a number of vertical rails are fixed against studs of a garage wall. A carriage is mounted to slide on each rail and to support and raise a bicycle by its wheels. A single cable and pulley assembly is provided for selectively engaging each carriage, so that a bicycle supported by the engaged carriage can be raised clear of the garage floor.
Elevating-type structures for use in places other than a garage are also known, particularly for shelving (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,984 issued Apr. 24, 1951), and for clothing or merchandise hangers as disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,678,085 (Jul. 7, 1987) and 2,155,583 (Apr. 25, 1939).
As far as is known, no system or arrangement has been disclosed that allows a person to make use of available, overhead garage space for purposes of storage by allowing the person to load one or more articles of various sizes most any size into a tray or basket, and to elevate the basket with the stored articles to a position clear of the garage floor and other objects (e.g. automobiles) which may be present in the immediate vicinity.
The average homeowner today does not have much storage space available within the rooms of his or her dwelling. Even the typical home garage lacks much free space on the garage floor once an automobile is brought inside. For those homeowners who sorely need storage space, particularly for large bulky items that cannot be easily stowed away in the attic or any room closet space that may exist, the garage has taken on new significance as a storage room and the family automobile has been displaced onto the driveway or street. Having to relegate the family automobile to a location without shelter from severe elements such as heavy precipitation, icy cold winters, salt spray, or intense sunlight over long periods of time, certainly does not prolong the life of the automobile. This is particularly regrettable since the replacement cost of an automobile today probably far exceeds the aggregate value of the various household items which people have come to store in their garages while ousting their cars.
As mentioned, much has been published with respect to the use of closet and attic space for convenient storage. Yet, as far as is known, no system or arrangement has been disclosed by which usually abundant overhead space in most home garages can be used easily and conveniently by a homeowner for article storage. Moreover, there exists a need for a storage arrangement which will allow stored articles to be retrieved without much ado such as having to fetch and open a folding ladder and climb precariously, if not unsafely, into attic space where articles are frequently stored.